Chapter 20
oU0Ec9QI stood motionless for a few seconds with the cloth in my hand before replying somewhat awkwardly.bkiNnB
Nmc“Thank you very much.”Zod
gGk4SAAs I looked back on everything I had done up to that point, I realized I really had been throwing myself headfirst into everything without thinking too much.IW3
EubxBut it didn’t feel like I was forcing myself.vUHN
eylRather.BWuNx3
sjLGSrXI was enjoying it a little.6cZ70
siv0Of course, a peaceful life without any incidents would always be the best.qVE
miBQmHYBut even now, I didn’t feel that bad.N9R
HjZD7I supposed it was because I was exploring, in real life, the world of a game I loved so much.mgY
laDYedJ‘Besides, I’m discovering things the game never showed…’r6Jd2
ibZJgWIf it weren’t for the mission of preventing my limbs from being amputated, I’d probably be enjoying it even more.PSPSbk
m8fh0FOf course, I had no intention of saying something like that.7RbKsl
xwfLIf I did, Mo Haein would probably look at me as if I were an even bigger lunatic.57f
yoUliInstead of expressing what I was really thinking, I continued wiping my face with the cloth she had given me.D5Kq
JRvE6geSeeing how much blood stained the cloth, I understood why they had considered me completely unhinged up until now.DVGU
qcPqwEjAs I stopped looking worse than a zombie, Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk took the opportunity to eat something as well.BrXx
mGGWell.zFVls
XyXMo Haein ate a little.6OW4nj
ak8Kwak Hanmuk devoured quite a considerable amount.NQXSh3
2K9b7OAfter swallowing a mountain of snacks, he licked his lips in satisfaction.Vtz8b3f
HAZDespite eating so much, he didn’t even look full.ca68EuG
5tZtfu“You can eat more. There are plenty of places to get food.”lxjhd
duFsec“No… I need to go on a diet…”4AEQff
r2H0He muttered something while biting down on one last lollipop until it shattered.gK4u
sOTuQI looked away for a moment.5vYLecQ
OmBAp1lWhen I looked back, only the empty stick remained.knmktkI
Ijw1JeHe stayed crouched for a few seconds, holding the stick between his fingers with a vacant expression.Rfr
8ndWhen he noticed I was watching him, he smiled and stood up.k61dVQ
668Then he tossed the stick onto the ground and crushed it beneath his foot.s6Fnseb
9RoI had no idea what he was trying to do.5uIu
A7XIt wasn’t like it was a cigarette butt.Dbn
jzq3BdfWhile the three of us recovered our hunger and thirst levels, Je Hyuno remained seated on top of the jeep.J11n
eaI4Wv6Since he was already infected with the BT-Z virus, many of the Trial’s rules simply didn’t apply to him.PWbvLe
4NfIn Dead Zone Delivery, he didn’t need to eat or drink.7xpoCz
2h8JNor could he be infected again if a zombie bit him.zhTxMV
ZcIPeIf he had entered HAZPAC, he probably wouldn’t have even been able to equip the toy limbs.zggGv5
RXVJSo he simply waited while we finished eating.Nv0Lg
GlA7Watching him observe us from above made me feel like an animal in a zoo.GBs
Li6jao‘I hope he finds the show entertaining.’69H3
mN6i0After making full use of Je Hyuno’s help, I honestly wanted to leave him with a good impression.qF66iRF
47snBut the moment our eyes met, he began moving his metallic fingers as though he were playing a piano.43tet
oDwuywoI immediately lowered my gaze.4Ory00
ftcxMuIt was better not to attract too much of his attention.0eKVho
XXQuLOnce we finished eating and recovered, I quickly packed the backpack with the essentials.53g7Z5
ew1qCrSAfter slinging it over my shoulder, I checked the rooftop ventilation system.vCwdY
Yo94u6fFortunately, it was still operating on emergency power and hadn’t been damaged.pg2yW
dFoI then began the briefing for the laboratory raid.gO62
AKe1Pp“Our first objective will be locating the researchers who are still alive.”DG5
jakYQNThe Dead Zone Delivery laboratory was a long building consisting of two underground levels and five floors above ground.oArf5C
EsMEUnlike the National Institute of Infectious Diseases in HAZPAC, there weren’t several separate buildings here.mTu2
OLhHC3Everything was concentrated in a single facility.v0I6RpV
LwYmPThe fifth floor was the most important.EbL0l
ImJX9slThat was where the high-risk pathogen laboratory was located.bE34qf
Y6Lg73The BSL-4 laboratory was the indispensable location for developing the zombie virus vaccine.I6tu8
QRqWHb5“Under normal circumstances, the surviving researcher would be hiding in a janitor’s closet on the third floor. But the situation has changed, so it’s highly likely that they’re somewhere else now.”4HtEC
cwa0uIn the game, the last surviving researcher remained hidden inside a small janitor’s closet on the third floor.ai0dbyI
OTlmxnThe player gave them food to keep them alive, eliminated the zombies, and helped them reach the fifth-floor laboratory.O6dqa
TliYOwThere, the researcher unlocked the laboratory, which had remained sealed, and began developing the vaccine.80lY
weiOnly then did the delivery mission truly begin.N2nSaIa
W5s7TKqBut now there were four surviving researchers.gUtCSx
y1znThere was no way all of them were still hiding inside such a tiny closet.RNPjrpR
IPeGQ“My guess is that they’re already in the laboratory. On the fifth floor.”HDPKUdJ
ApEqSince Je Hyuno had exterminated the zombies at the beginning of the Trial, the researchers had probably taken advantage of the opportunity to gather supplies and build barricades around the most important laboratory.hTFLzm
iYXlMfCDuring that process, one of them had likely been attacked by a zombie that had remained hidden.nWpA
sqYThough it was still only a hypothesis.9rblg66
hMuYePC“Then, if we don’t find them on the fifth floor, we should also check the third.”ci7M
GVHQMo Haein immediately added her opinion.pK0UV
coC“Yes. Just in case. And besides locating the researchers, we also need to confirm as soon as possible whether the conditions for the True Ending are still intact.”j6Dve
CzNRTSince I needed to verify that part personally, I proposed what I considered the most efficient strategy.jxuhOd
dHYTg“What do you think about splitting into two teams and advancing simultaneously?”NCDG
Ecgc1“Sure. We have to listen to Big Brother Goyo.”3KwhG
K79NMeKwak Hanmuk was the first to agree.UnfonL
04XBbMo Haein nodded as well.eNH
NvidBAI seized the opportunity to try to decide the team composition.Dd0u
KLb3wR‘Captain Mo and I in the same group!’ZG3L
VH24yAI had a good justification.waJ3f
0IbSpWe had already worked together in HAZPAC.tDTAhMT
QwvFkVBesides, Kwak Hanmuk was the most suitable person to stay with Je Hyuno in case he did something unexpected.xd3MxS
JFhnS“Then the teams will be—”z02P6qo
K7rDBut I couldn’t finish the sentence.Vx5gO
KGZScreeeech.qo2N
8wmWZAn unpleasant metallic sound interrupted my words.09jpN
xtgUD4Je Hyuno was scratching the jeep with his metal hand.z6zs
lowHis black wings began to move slowly.k0P
5tvNIWith a soft metallic sound, the feathers folded one after another until they disappeared completely behind his back.locfdsR
Ry1zThen he jumped down from the jeep.LdBN
11S9And walked straight over to stand beside me.uCXS
uH61XpAo opiyVnYz
msiyhIVIt seemed he wanted us to go together.SkSS
ntJgI looked at Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein.6BVc
LAKvThey were already discussing among themselves how they would conduct the search.7V3v9Sl
gbeqm9Apparently, they were convinced that now Je Hyuno had regained his sanity and accepted me as a teammate, he would no longer try to attack me.1JQ
MULohBesides, considering that both of them were already quite exhausted, they probably thought he was the one best suited to protect me.wgvMf21
NNpHowever, there was something the two of them didn’t know.GYtO2
fK2v0W5I had mentioned Zero in front of Je Hyuno.QqrbZUW
Gl2kI had unintentionally touched what was practically his greatest sore spot.cdQRKnB
nP9SeBEven so, I couldn’t tell Mo Haein or Kwak Hanmuk about that detail.aZuOX
DRbGCMI was already attracting too much attention by talking about Trial strategies and item usage.kKe
bTxqBtIf I stood out even more, the unspoken understanding everyone had been maintaining might collapse.3DDL
rhVhRPAt least there was one small stroke of luck amid all that misfortune.O4RG
VdYI didn’t have to worry about Je Hyuno telling them about Zero or about the system windows.qXqmMFy
KfeOiJAfter all, the real problem with Je Hyuno was that he wouldn’t even say what actually needed to be said.0cYyI
z8waHe wasn’t going to bother revealing that Han Goyo was an anomalous existence.WoH
3QRP‘He’ll simply eliminate me himself the moment he considers me a threat.’LxbERiy
r30iNow that he acknowledged me as a teammate, he would probably tolerate me to a certain extent.Pab
eZpBut if I did something that truly annoyed him, he would eliminate me without hesitation.qoO31N
j6yIt was enough to feel the killing intent he didn’t even try to hide.uoi30
SLMxt4It was even possible that he had decided to accompany me solely to find a good opportunity to do it.3pVO8EG
QURAXK‘I hope I don’t have to use Execution on Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno…’CN5NG0b
c6FZIWith that constant concern in mind, I ended up teaming up with Je Hyuno.7IjocJl
sEZSw3We decided to meet again at the fifth-floor laboratory.JnU1t5
CfiwcKWithout imagining any of the thoughts running through my head, Mo Haein and Kwak Hanmuk opened the rooftop door and disappeared down the emergency staircase to carry out their part of the mission.qpjRW
YrlExOnly Je Hyuno and I remained on the rooftop.ML4WR
l0hI turned to look at him.7OT26qA
E8MjUHis goggles still displayed the wide-open eyes emoticon.H81A
lutHe seemed ready to follow me.bje
Rli58R“…Uh… we need to go down to the second floor.”pkReXs
gfGbWalking from the rooftop to the second floor through hordes of Dead Zombies would take quite a while.Oit
JXRcIsLBut with Je Hyuno with us, there was no reason to do it on foot.CcwDzZo
jjvI didn’t even have to say it.7mc
ZcZ3It seemed he had thought exactly the same thing.3oIa
bFWHe took a pair of leather gloves out of his inventory.9jzgi3
4rq9When he put the black glove on his left metallic hand, it emitted a flash and took on the appearance of a human hand.um4
nIx‘So those are the Crow Gloves.’sHM
MD0With one of his hands transformed into a human one thanks to the Crow Gloves, he looked a little less intimidating.LaDB2ag
435dSuddenly.68as91
KmCp9sKHe grabbed me by the back of the neck.srYcu
goRoFLHe sprinted across the rooftop.Y9Ml
qrWyzYAnd, without any warning.39gN
HX55HcSJumped into the void.8o8xLx
a3DInThe sensation of falling knocked the breath out of me.WMt
PD63sRHe descended at incredible speed and drove his metallic hand straight into the second-floor wall.zRCFo
UBRmkAt the same time, he kicked through a window.AAjyv
VxGAnd threw me inside.JvsG4p
W2MyfWt“Ugh!”kpiH
cat4qI almost rolled across the shattered glass, but managed to regain my balance at the last moment.C8Vus
Sez6dmWith one human hand and the other metallic one hanging casually at his sides, Je Hyuno calmly stepped through the broken window and entered the hallway.crwC
2pVSz7The emergency lights dimly illuminated the corridor.qUR
J4SHis long shadow stretched across the floor.y149V6
F5R“Graaaagh!”Bl3i
et0vq8The Dead Zombies that had heard the glass shatter immediately lunged toward us.CrDsWpp
4P572Je Hyuno gestured with his human hand, telling me to move aside because I was in the way.kPLbG
tGhNThe moment I pressed myself against the wall, he swung his metallic arm horizontally.BY4YwdM
H71kq22Whoosh.ETMs3
8PeEThe air was sliced clean through.OyJD2J
MDf1cUFive lines cut across the zombies’ bodies.sbgLN
lclj1gA moment later.56v
wT3Thud.ZrkZUW
WA3DdznThe Dead Zombies collapsed into pieces.OBGM3f
Ngao3rI immediately forgot the disrespectful thought I had when he threw me into the building.LPzM
kW3trJS“Thank you very much, Lieutenant Colonel Je Hyuno.”lPh7iT
58ZmzsHis strengths and weaknesses were incredibly clear.B27
XKMWbDHe had a terrible personality.RaDFk
0mLA9But he was the kind of superior who was so competent that he let you leave work early.qWhuRq
04Qk9L3With a genuine smile, I obediently followed the officer who had eliminated every zombie in just a few seconds.fhs
yo79n“This way.”s48
6i6Our destination was the laboratory director’s office.YOq1E96
BPlAs we headed there, I stopped for a moment in front of another office.Hmq
1AL41“May I ask you a very small favor? Something truly insignificant.”sOpDV
gY4Je Hyuno looked at me as if telling me to speak.QwfMCR
0DqzMbI smiled brightly.fTRcT6o
UPOWCn“Collect food.”0qhk5
oJp8From the third floor onward, almost everything consisted of laboratories and analysis rooms, so most of the food was located on the first and second floors.DJJ
9jGZJ7Now that the number of surviving researchers had increased from one to four, it was a good idea to gather supplies for them while we were already on the second floor.iiWenbw
vSrlg0Je Hyuno’s goggles lit up.3QIp
fCFO K85G6fT
VmDGPzc‘…So they can display letters too?’vMNxI
F17wAI had never known because, in the game, Je Hyuno hardly ever spoke.zanGsF
Ltoa4As I wondered whether he could display longer messages, I entered the office with him.WeP
yvuyNUnlike the hallway, the emergency lights weren’t working there, and everything was completely dark.2I7
dQJfABut that wasn’t a problem.OTZMJw
aEGzjpI knew the exact location of every bit of food.DgK
5Bu6And Je Hyuno could see perfectly well even in the darkness.1xaXhsN
FRPaEt4“Third desk on the left. There’s a chocolate bar in the bottom drawer. And underneath the flowerpot on the next desk there’s a bag of gummy candies.”f9Gz
UaXQI simply pointed out the locations.dLfXUXN
HLnmPJe Hyuno collected the items at incredible speed and tossed them straight into the backpack.y0zLCL
0CIzMy only job was to hold the backpack open while following him.eHZus
YJd0F‘This is so convenient…’h3z9vN
JxhAt first, I had been nervous about being alone with him.beB
wwOFWBut to my surprise, he was cooperating far more than I had expected.BIP7m
aKYEverything was going smoothly.1nRGx
plsUrVnI continued taking full advantage of Je Hyuno’s incredible usefulness.a3eiqv
OSrDVEaWhen we finished searching the office and were approaching the director’s office…0M1M
tRZxQKs“Grrr… Grrr…”ro8aUbX
Es3KdrThe faint growl of a zombie could be heard.8JmAsiy
wPXw1h1It had probably awakened after hearing the window shatter.vOwDM8
mGc4But it sounded strange.AUe9MRY
QZbs8QPAs if it were trapped somewhere.U40k7K
lSbbt7‘But there shouldn’t be any zombies locked up on the second floor…’N42Et
tbqBpI didn’t know what had changed.5y1
mwrSince the sound was coming from the director’s office, I quickened my pace.eUs9Sz
BMhQ2sVThe closer we got, the more, besides the growls, dull banging noises could be heard.XSdjM
MiEokU7And also.oBE76Z
vLB9fHThe sound of someone crying.XbSM
ldpWhen I finally arrived in front of the director’s office.POfImMS
IC8S“……”8xLKgj
gR0h6kV“Goyo.”FgVyRu
EDcTOJe Hyuno called out to me.h4x
IvrThere was a clear trace of amusement in his hoarse, beast-like voice.k1Ow
lDxjC“Do you still think you can clear the Trial?”i0aEBb
LjNI should have answered yes immediately to prove my usefulness.y4m8G
AlPBut this time.6Vk3
NSJf6iI couldn’t respond.oTr2g
utpqyBang. Bang. Bang.Hm2
BcSfu5A zombie repeatedly slammed its head against the reinforced glass door.BukhUw
J1RPmIts hands and feet were bound.Ojjs
f1mIt even had a gag in its mouth.5uAl
93qogtIIt could only move its head.8eX
5oOvpFIAnd it kept smashing it against the glass over and over again.wRXqV1
QCmAXGA researcher’s ID card hung around the zombie’s neck.clNRW
fQc5kvI stared at it in shock.1x1U
qx9p4Then I slowly lowered my gaze.Zir
3XFNvjThe name and photograph on the ID badge were clearly visible before my eyes.va300
lSDWnLee SeondLRuY
pX36m0There was no doubt.uuF5L
AYf6KBQHe was the researcher who was supposed to develop the vaccine.w5Z
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
dihnblls 300
Golden Corelike a baby kitten